In response to Congress’s 3 questions on Adani, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey poses 11 questions

As part of Congress's protest series ‘Hum Adani Ke Hai Kaun’, Rahul Gandhi posed questions to PM. Dubey attacked the party citing scams that broke out during previous Congress govts.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in Lok Sabha Tuesday. | ANI

New Delhi: “Is Rahul Gandhi a ghost or not? Is Rahul Gandhi alive or dead?” BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday attacked the senior Congress leader in the Lok Sabha in his 11-point riposte after Gandhi posed three questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of his party’s ‘Hum Adani Ke Hai Kaun’ protest series.

The Congress on Sunday announced  that it would pose three queries every day to the PM as part of its new “series HAHK — Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun”, over the Union government’s silence over fraud allegations against the Adani Group by short-seller Hindenburg Research.

In one of his questions, Rahul mentioned the Hindenburg report that stated that the Adani Group has shell companies abroad. “Who owns the shell companies in Mauritius? The thousands of crores that these shell companies are sending to India, whose money is this? Is Adani doing this for free?,” he asked.

In another question, he asked how Adani becoming the world’s second richest man. “After 2014, how did Adani’s net worth go from 8 billion dollars to 140 billion dollars? In 2014, Adani was at 609 in list of world’s richest, how did he become world No. 2? What is the magic behind this? How much money has Adani given to the BJP in the last 20 years? And how much money has BJP received from Adani through electoral bonds?” he said.

Responding to Gandhi’s allegations of collusion between the Adani Group and the ruling party, Dubey harped on controversies and scandals that broke out during the previous Congress governments from Bofors, Bhopal Gas Tragedy to AgustaWestland. The BJP MP also alluded to close relationships between Congress leaders and organisations such as the RSS.

Taking a jibe at the Congress leader, Dubey asked: “Is Rahul Gandhi a ghost or not? Is Rahul Gandhi alive or dead?”, referring to a comment by Rahul during the Bharat Jodo Yatra where the Congress leader had said that the “old Rahul Gandhi is dead”.

Attacking the Congress over the Bhopal gas tragedy, the BJP MP asked how the party let the chairman of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson, escape India. The Congress was in power in Madhya Pradesh and at the Centre when the  tragedy struck in 1984.

“Your party’s PM Narasimha Rao, did he stay in Balasaheb Deoras house in Nagpur or not?”, Dubey asked, referring to former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, popularly known as Balasaheb Deoras. 

“Pranab Mukherjee, who visited RSS office, was he part of your party?”, Dubey asked, referring to Mukherjee’s speech at an RSS event in 2018.

Countering Rahul’s allegations over Adani, Dubey said: “Did your government not give the Australia mines to Adani in 2010? Did you not change rules for GMR, GVK (developers)? Did they have experience?”

“What was the role of the Congress government and its leaders like Madhavrao Solanki in

(Ottaviou) Quattrochi escaping?” 

Dubey also attacked the Congress over Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. “What is the relationship between Robert Vadra and Sanjay Bhandari?” Dubey asked, referring to the arms dealer. 

He also cited the National Herald case that has brought the Gandhi family under the radar of ED and CBI. 

Ending his speech and challenging Rahul, Dubey said: “If you can prove that after becoming PM, Modi ji travelled even once with Adani, I’ll resign.”

The article has been updated to remove portions of Rahul Gandhi’s speech that were expunged by the Lok Sabha Speaker after the publication of the report.

(Edited by Anumeha Saxena)